1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a seat assembly with a folding head restraint, and a method for folding the seat assembly.
2. Background Art
Many vehicles today include seat assemblies that fold down to provide increased cargo area. In particular, the second and/or third row of a vehicle may include seats that kneel, fold and tumble to provide a flat surface on which to load cargo. One limitation of many of these seats is the need to remove the head restraint prior to folding the seat. The head restraint must then be stowed in some generally inconvenient location. For example, if the head restraint is stowed outside the vehicle, it may not be available when the seat is returned to its upright position. If the head restraint is stowed inside the vehicle, it may occupy a portion of the cargo space made available by folding the seat down; this reduces the utility of a fold-down seat. In either case, the head restraint might not be reinstalled into the seat assembly when it is returned to the upright position. Thus, a vehicle occupant may not have the head restraint available when it is needed.
Not all head restraints must be removed from a seat assembly when the seat assembly is folded down. Some head restraints can remain in the seat assembly; however, such designs have their own inherent limitations. For example, the height of the head restraint may be limited because of space considerations—i.e., when the seat back is folded down, a head restraint that is too tall may interfere with the seat directly in front of it, or it may interfere with the body of the vehicle. Moreover, even if a head restraint folds out of the way and remains with the seat assembly when the seat assembly is folded down, the head restraint may still require a manual operation to return it to its upright use position. Thus, a seat may be returned to its upright position with the head restraint still attached, but if the head restraint is not manually returned to its upright position, it may not be available to a seated occupant.
Therefore, a need exists for a seat assembly that includes a folding head restraint that includes at least two portions that can each be folded into a stowed position, thereby allowing the head restraint to remain attached to the seat assembly when the seat assembly is folded down.